Plants and flowers are grown today in greenhouses in variable size pots which contain soil or soilless organic mixes. Typically, the plant is started and allowed to grow to a specific size for sale to an appropriate outlet e.g. florist, nursery, grocery store, gift shop or the like for purchase by a consumer for personal use in a home or business or, to be given as a gift. Care for the plant requires the correct environment of light, temperature and water, combined with care, whereupon the plant continues to grow for a certain period or life. With proper care, the plant thrives and may be transplanted; with improper care, it withers and dies.
One of the problems with soil as the growing media is that it is difficult to provide and maintain the correct moisture content. Too much water will cause the roots to rot while too little water will cause the roots and plant to dry out and die. Another problem with soil is that it may contain pathogens such as bacteria, fungus as well as insects, all of which deleteriously affect the plants, its roots, or both.
As a substitute for soil, agriculturists have employed hydroponics, using water in lieu of soil, aeroponics, which uses air and, aerohydroponics, which uses combinations of air and water.
Plant vessels are known in a variety of materials including earthenware, glass, plastic, wood and like materials which provide a housing for the growing media and, generally contain the water that is directed onto the plant or soil.
In addition to the growing of plants in vessels for purchase and enjoyment of consumers, an industry has developed around the arrangement of art flowers and plants, which are not intended for long term growth, but rather, short term ornamental decoration and enjoyment. These products also employ a vessel of the foregoing types, such as vases and floral arrangement containers which are provided with a hydrophilic foam material. Such foams are usually polymeric and are open-celled, allowing them to take up, i.e., absorb, large quantities of water from which the stems of cut plants and flowers can draw moisture.
Generally, the foam is cut from a block by a florist and placed in the vessel which is supportive and decorative. One unique product is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,863 B1, owned by the Assignee of record. The vessel there described comprises a foam base of material cut, sculpted or molded into the desired shape, and then partially covered with a waterproof coating to provide an outer shell. Additionally, the vessel is provided with an internal passageway and reservoir to contain water for short term preservation of cut flowers, plants, branches and the like, generally arranged to provide a pleasing ornamental appearance.
These products offer improvements over mere water reservoirs which spill, if tipped or overfilled. While the art has thus provided vessels for the growth of plants in soil and the arrangement of cut flowers in foam materials, it has not heretofore, provided a vessel comprising polymer foam in which plants can be grown.